Work of Nightmares
by Bakuretsu-Shio
Summary: It's been 5 months since Pitch's defeat. Jack has settled into his position as a Guardian, and Christmas is no more than a couple of months away. However, how does he react when he starts seeing Pitch around each and every corner? Will he tell the Guardians, or is there more on his mind?
1. Sighting

It had already been five months since the victory against the evil known as Pitch; the Boogeyman. He and his nightmares had been defeated by the Guardians and the young Jack Frost before he himself became one of them. In that time however, not much had changed despite his newfound title. Children still did not see him other than the very few being Jamie and his friends. It didn't bother Jack to be honest, but there was always that lingering feeling of wanting to be acknowledged the same way the others were.

The hooded spirit watched the snow drizzle passed like a storm, sitting against the window of the room he had confined his self to for the meantime. It was one of those times where he wanted to be alone, and to think to himself without being reminded he was a Guardian. Gently tipping the edge of his staff against the window, he watched the patterns of frost spread across. The boy smiled gently with his thoughts before the ice abruptly stopped when he pulled the wood away.

"_I only came here because they asked me to help, but in the end I was even less useful than those elves…" _Jack sighed, _"I'd go play with some kids, have a great snow day, throw a couple of snowballs… but there's just something pulling me away from doing that. I was made to have fun! So what's stopping me?"_

"What am I doing?" He asked himself, tilting his head and lightly touching it against the glass beside him. His crystal blue eyes wandered about the sight before him, taking in the landscape of the North Pole where he currently resided.

"Talking to yourself isn't considered the smarted thing to do." He jested, just as he heard a loud crash outside the room with a couple of yetis yelling at each other for their muck ups.

A sudden knock on the door to the room jolted Jack from his spot, and turned his head to the object opening. A large man in red with a white beard tapped his foot, as if expecting a question to come from the young guardian just across from him. As soon as Jack opened his mouth, North spoke up with a wave of his index finger. "Ah, ah, ah. I'm here for a small chat, that's all." He smiled, gently closing the doors behind him while barely making a sound.

"Shouldn't you be working? Since you know…being Santa Claus and all you have a pretty big job making kids happy with presents on Christmas." Jack said with a smile, though more sarcastic to his own enjoyment; the very same trademark that made him the Guardian of fun.

"But of course! I just noticed you were acting a bit…" He elongated the word with a roll of his eyes and wave of his hand, trying to find the right word to describe his attitude, "…Isolated."

That was one way to describe it. "Hey, everyone has those days," the frost spirit retorted twirling his staff in his hand while standing no more than a couple of feet from North. Glitters of snow fluttered from the staff and into the air, dissipating within mere seconds. "So is that all you wanted to talk about?" Jack asked.

"Actually-"Just as the Guardian of Wonder spoke, a yeti from outside the room started yelling at another of his kind for making a mechanical duck function wrong, while instead of its wings flapping its feet stamped against the ground on the same spot. Albeit Jack couldn't entirely understand what they were saying, but it was enough to make North sigh in disbelief towards his own workers. "Oh what are they doing now?" he grunted.

"We'll talk later Jack." The man spoke while opening the door and exiting the room to deal with the workers. Those yetis really did get on his nerves at times, but right now was a bad count when everyone was so busy in the workplace.

Jack laughed softly in response, sitting back on the large window sill and contently laying his head against the glass again, all the while noticing that the frost storm outside had started to worsen in the time he and North spoke. It wasn't anything he couldn't fix though if he chose to, but he didn't feel compelled at the time to get out there and work his element.

The frost spirit shut his eyes with a dwelling silence, his mind ravelled up with thoughts he kept only to his self and no one else. No one needed to know those secrets he kept so far hidden. As they say, some things are best left unsaid, but in Jack's case, there were so many words unspoken that made him seem like a foul… creature in his mind.

"_It's been five months, but it only feels like five days" _Jack shook his head, _"Pitch is gone, I'm a Guardian, and the world is safe from nightmares. Right? I don't know anymore. I feel like those nightmares could come back at any moment, and Pitch could be watching right now without us knowing."_

He opened his eyes, mentally slapping his cheek for thinking that. Weren't Guardians supposed to be positive? He certainly wasn't, and didn't need to think of those ideas. With clear blue eyes peering through the glass, he watched.

"Wait a minute…" Frost sat still, eyes focused on the blizzard building up outside as it covered the terrain in a blanket of frozen white. It may have been dull to others, but he could see through it like a feline in the darkness of the shadows. His body tensed, eyes widening at the image that beheld the Guardian. His grip tightened around his staff, freezing the window entirely in ice so cold his breath could easily be seen.

"_Pitch."_


	2. Search

**Thank you for your reviews on the first chapter! I'm not the most experienced writer out there, but I do try. This was made for fun, so I don't know myself where this end up. It's mostly going to be winged from here.**

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That cruel manifestation was hard to forget. Stranded black hairs made his style seem dishevelled since the last time Jack laid eyes on him. His robe appeared torn like a creature had strained to rip him apart, but that gaze… it was the only thing that would never cease to change about Pitch. That longing desire for revenge against the Guardians; against Jack Frost. His grey skin looked almost unaffected by the blizzard outside, as if he was a flat image and not wholly there. What seemed most odd to Jack wasn't the fact he had appeared out of nowhere, but that he only stood there like a bird observing its prey. No movement, not even an utter of term from what he saw.

"What is he standing there for?" Jack gradually questioned, although didn't expecting an answer. As his mind disclosed what he had seen he instantly treaded away from the window and twisted around, heading out the room to look for the closest fellow Guardian, North. Pushing through the numerous amount of yetis and elves in the way, Jack noticed North was holding a list, undoubtedly his Naughty list which he liked to check more than his Nice one… just in case.

Among the grunts and fuming mutters from the creatures the winter spirit pushed through, that was more than sufficient to gain the Guardian's attention. As North peered from his list he looked at Jack with an inquisitive gesture as he lowered the scroll on the table and turned his attention to the boy. "Jack?" He looked serious, but he couldn't be sure why.

"He's here in the North Pole!" Jack announced, looking him in the eyes.

North unfortunately took some time to comprehend the meaning behind what Frost meant. "…You mean Sandy? I called for him to come over!"

"No not Sandy!" A slight bit of agitation showed in his tone, but nevertheless he overlooked his mistake and tried once more to have him understand whom he truly meant. "Who do you think I mean?!"

As if by code, North's eyes lit up with alert, and he nodded his head. "Got it. I'll have the other Guardians here in no time-"

"No wait- I can handle it." He sheepishly cut in. That anger that seethed through him before had disappeared, replaced with a mindset recalling the Boogeyman was still weak considering their battle last time. He could effortlessly defeat him on his own without the help of the other Guardians now. Sandy had his job to keep children's dreams in check; Bunny was hopping about doing… whatever he did. It didn't matter. Then there is Tooth who was busy as always with her comrades collecting the teeth of children around the world. All of that seemed like so much to do that his head began to spin the longer he thought about it.

North seemed reluctant to let him go at first; on the other hand he knew too that Pitch couldn't stand up to anyone at this point. All he could do was squirm with impatience in the shadows like the Boogeyman he was. He could grit his teeth and swear revenge on the Guardians, but that was it. He could never have power like them, with the beliefs of every child in the world to support their existence. It wasn't fair to him though…it just wasn't fair, and they deserved to perish for it.

"_Why would Pitch risk coming here?"_ Jack's mind struggled to grasp onto the motive for Pitch's sudden appearance. _"He can't stand up to us. He knows full well he isn't capable of it." _

The children had forgotten their belief in the Boogeyman, and he ceased to exist to them. The only ones who could see the man were his enemies, the very spirits he had tried to end with his black sand to create nightmares from children's dreams. Running through to the entrance of Santa Claus' workplace, Jack memorized where he had last seen Pitch standing. He was no more than thirty yards away at first, meaning he didn't have any use for the wind to pull him up and along to his location. The only thing he worried about was if the Boogeyman had moved on already and left the scene. No more than a few minutes had passed however and knowing Pitch he liked to revel in the moment of his dark thoughts.

"Hello Jack." A smooth, if not chilling tone stirred the silence behind the Guardian.

He hadn't been expecting the presence behind him, but furthermore outside in the chilling blizzard like before. Coming to a stop he froze, furrowing white brows in confusion to what transpired. Did he miss something? At what point did _he _come in? It must have been when Jack confronted North about Pitch's appearance at the North Pole. That was the only time he could have snuck in right?

The white haired spirit turned around to face his enemy head on, but his presence was no more.

"_Where is he?" _Jack spun around to the entrance once more, running outside into the thundering blizzard only to find he was alone. All traces of the Boogeyman were gone, as if he hadn't been there from the start. Was his mind merely playing tricks on him? Perhaps his ideas were stressing him into becoming delusional. That couldn't have been the case… _"He was here! I know he was!" _Frost thought loudly.

"_He came here but for what, to play tricks on me? Is that it? Pitch wouldn't risk becoming notorious just to do that." _After looking around the surrounding area for the time being, he found no trace of the Boogeyman there. _"I should tell the others anyway… he might try something on them. But what is his reason?" _

There were too many questions on Jacks mind, and only one man who could answer all of them.

It was time for a little adventure.


	3. Guardian of Fun

"We have a problem." Jack spoke while looking North in the eyes. The Guardian of Wonder could almost instantly tell that something was amiss in Jack's mind. But he couldn't understand what exactly had caused that. "Pitch- he was here. I mean I think he was." His tone revealed the confusion he was dealing with, his thoughts racing and trying to examine the scene he was caught up within beforehand at the entrance of the workshop.

North tilted his head gently, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder as a gesture to relax. Obviously his thoughts were overwhelmed at the moment, and he needed some time to calm down and think logically. Going after a random goose chase would do no good for anyone, and Jack himself knew that fully well. "Calm down Jack. Tell us what happened." His accent was thick in speech, but oddly relaxed the boy in front of him. Sandy stood nearby with an inquisitive expression on his face, waiting to hear what his fellow Guardian had to say. North had told him as he arrived that Jack caught sight of Pitch, much to his alarm, but had been told to stand ground in case the Guardian of Fun came back with news.

"I saw him outside. When I was heading out there he—he was inside. But then he was gone just like that." Jack explained to the best of his abilities. "He was here for something, but I just don't know what..."

"Maybe it was a trick?" North commented, raising his brows with the suggestion that might have been all Pitch was after on the day. That man was unpredictable in most ways. Cunning, but he ran risks to get anything he wanted, no matter what the cost. "Ah, he can try something. But we always win." The Guardian smugly pronounced to the other two, holding his arms out with a shrug to show he had nothing to be scared of. Fear did not exist in his heart, and he knew that Pitch would try to use that against them.

"Right." Jack sighed while turning his head towards the passing blizzard outside. It was calming since the last time he looked out there, but it didn't matter how rough it was.

Sandy gazed at Santa Claus and Jack Frost, hands on his hips while he thought up an idea in how they'd deal with this problem. He always had time to help fellow Guardians, and this was one of them. Tapping Jack on the arm he managed to catch his attention with a smile and pointed to the winter spirit, then himself. A wisp of sand swirled above his head, turning into arrows pointing towards the large globe in the middle of the workshop. There were spots within the world where lights had dimmed; Burgess counted as one of those places. It wasn't anything uncommon considering there were children who sometimes lost hope in them, but this seemed more than normal.

"You want to look for him together?" Jack questioned, earning a nod from the Sandman. The plan was good enough, and he would go along with it for sure. Teaming up with Sandy was always fun, but he had to remind himself not to tick the little guy off. "It's a plan then. Come on."

Sandy and Jack left the North Pole together, and as a precaution for the future North alerted Toothiana of Pitch's sighting. Pitch had been taken lightly at the time of their conversation, but they never knew what he could be thinking in that wicked head of his. He thought nothing but the destruction of the Guardians, and sought the attention of all children who feared him. That isn't the way to become known though, and Jack knew this at first hand. Patience, a good heart and moral was the answer. Hard work always paid off, but not when it was for corrupt acts like revenge or causing catastrophes.

Treading weightlessly over the wires of the electric poles, Jack held his staff in hand ready to take action at first sight of Pitch Black. He swung it out in front of him out of boredom, watching small flakes scatter from the wood and evaporate into cold air air. The moon had settled in the night, and Jack looked up to see its brilliance. The Man in the Moon could only glower back in silence, all the while knowing what was to come. "Huh… if you see anything feel free to tell me." Jack scoffed quietly. He had only ever been told his name by Manny, and wasn't expecting any more from him.

A crackle interfered in the moment, and Jack jolted from the wire. No, that wasn't electricity… but it was something that stirred evil somewhere close by. Jumping from a chimney to another roof nearby, he checked his surroundings before moving on. Sandy was a couple of streets away, doing his job in the meantime all the while searching for any presence having to do with Pitch. It was then, that a blurred shadow scampered across Jack's sight, and he blinked in surprise. The Guardian followed after it in pursuit, leaping from a two story building and into an open alleyway.

Tightening the grip on his staff, Jack kept it close to his body while searching for the source of what may have caught his attention.

"Do you always throw yourself into trouble?" A voice lingered from the shadows with an obscure chuckle. The tone was laced with an almost smug hint in it, knowing full well Jack's actions would have consequences. "You should have told the Sandman…"

As Jack wisped around to face the darkness, nothing had appeared before him. Pitch was playing tricks again, but he wouldn't stand for it. "Show yourself!" He called out, voice echoing through the empty street. His anxiety was steadily growing with the longer it took for something to happen, but it happened too close for comfort. Another blur sped passed him, and he followed it with his sight, turning to his side—but nothing once more. Although he was the Guardian of fun, this wasn't a game to him.

"Oh come now Jack… I thought you _loved_ fun. " It wasn't a figment of his imagination this time. It was indeed Pitch Black, playing with him like a toy.

"Your definition of fun is very different to mine." Frost hadn't joked with any children lately, so he couldn't say that in certainty. He didn't…feel like having fun. A spirit made for fun, and defective of having any meant he had something wrong with him.

"Perhaps… or could it be you don't _want_ to have fun anymore?" Pitch leered over the other from behind, a grin extending cheek to cheek.

Jack turned to the being lingering behind, coming face to face with gold irises piercing aquamarine. Pitch looked different, but all the same was still the Boogeyman. His hair seemed untidy, rumpled in the time they had last met. His robe torn on the ends like creatures of darkness tore at him with the intent to kill. Exactly how he saw him when Pitch was in the North Pole. Or was he not there? The Frost Guardian shook his head and focused on the matter at hand. What he said was true…

_Jack didn't want to have fun. He had lost the very thing that made him…_ _Jack Frost._


	4. Something Lost

With his meaning lost, what did that make him? Just a simple winter spirit with no meaning left to linger in the world of men? Everything that made him who he was didn't appear to exist anymore; not to him. How did Pitch know that his joyful adventures weren't so holly anymore? Had he been keeping tabs on the Guardian throughout the many months of his disappearance since their last battle? It was quite possible, but in that time at least one of the five would have noticed his presence in the clearing.

Sandman had no knowledge of Pitch and Jack's meeting within the alley, hence was left on his own to search for any clues leading to the villain before Jack's very eyes. He was so close; Father Winter didn't have time to move before something nudged his back and kept him from escaping. As he turned his head, the menacing creature looming behind turned out to be one of Pitch's old Nightmares, once again under his control. It huffed with irascibility, insistently pushing against Jack's back and inching him ever so closer to the Boogeyman.

"Why leave so soon? I've missed our little chats, Jack." Pitch contorted with a stifle of laughter, arms whipping behind him and clutching each wrist while standing tall compared to the other's height.

"That makes one of us." Jack groused, narrowing his eyes.

Grasping the shepherd crook Jack jumped and flipped backwards, spikes of ice showering at the Nightmare and Pitch yet only overwhelming the creature conjured of black sand. Pitch dodged the attack with ease, brushing off the few flakes that managed to reach him however harmless in touch fortunately.

Landing just metres away, Jack stood up straight as the floor around him covered in frost, the breeze scourging around as a result of his tense emotions. The sudden onslaught would have alerted the Sandman enough for him to come over and assist Jack, so all he could do in the meantime was hold Pitch there long enough for the other Guardian to join. Not that he couldn't handle himself in a fight against Pitch Black, but it was better safe than sorry when his comrade was roaming about any way. He must have been the reason behind the dimming of the lights in Burgess too, no doubt about it with his attendance there.

"I really didn't come here for a fight." Pitch spoke out to him, but received a cold stare in response.

"Not buying it, Pitch!" The staff hissed as ice splintered across and spiralled passed Pitch's face. With eyes calm and collected, he appeared unfazed by the attack knowing that he wouldn't really deal him in without a reason. As of yet Pitch had given him none. When he appeared however, there was always trouble right around the corner, and he wouldn't be surprised if he was ambushed about now by those Nightmares creating by him specially to imbue the world with darkness.

A drained exhalation escaped the dark spirit's lips, striding into the shadows before completely disappearing from Jack's eyesight. It seemed coming to him directly wouldn't serve any purpose, so he would have to be sly about it instead, at least until the dream maker would arrive. Then his significance there would serve no benefit…

"Oh Jack… It must be terribly boring having all of that fun of yours sucked away." He mused, watching as the frost spirit changed his expression to that of bewilderment. Knowing he had gained his attention again, he continued, "What are you to do without it? After all…without fun you'll become just like you were before. I'm sure you've felt it." Pitch sneered, very slowly approaching Jack from the darkness_**. **__"They're losing faith in you, Jack."_

The words were drum on his chest, and it _hurt _to know what he said was true. His face showed truly that he could not believe him, but his eyes knew it for what it really was. Sadness filled the once enthusiastic and fun-seeking eyes, his breath becoming ragged as Pitch's words settled in. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, they stained his mind, engraved his thoughts with doubts and burnt his hopes. It hurt so much inside, he wanted to grab hold of his heart and give it away to someone who could repair it.

Pitch knew how to work at someone's will. He had to ease his words into their mind until it crumbled their defences and effectively ruined their spirit. Those were the exact words needed for Jack to bring his arms down to his sides, staff just barely staying in the boy's grip the entirety of the time. At first he thought that nothing could deter him from what was within sight, but ever so briefly in that gap of doubt he had in his mind, Pitch snuck in and caused the damage necessary to gain entrance to his soul.

"No…" The Guardian could only whisper, eyes straining to stay on Pitch. "No, no… I've come this far I'm not- I won't become like you."

Gritting his teeth, he hadn't noticed that the enemy had moved in. The golden eyed man put a hand on his shoulder with a quiet 'tsk' to show his supposed pity for the spirit, for he knew what it was like to be alone all too well. Despite the unintended insult toward him, he rolled his eyes as he turned away from Jack. But he came to a stop upon the sense that Sandy was closing in—and fast.

"I can help you Jack." His voice was once more a smooth melody, radiating a harmless suggestion to his rejecting psyche. As the black void followed in his shadow, he once again travelled to the corner of the alleyway, seeping into his element with the intent to cover himself with protection to Jack's incoming support. "You can once more have your _'fun'_ and all I ask is for a simple item in return." His words deemed promising enough. The shadows lurked, changing form and shaping into a snow globe, similar to the object of which North used as a means to travel instantly.

"Why don't we keep this little chat between us? Utter a _word_ from that mouth of yours… and you'll lose any hope of ever having your fun returned, little Guardian."

The words echoed in his mind, and before Jack knew it, Pitch had disappeared.


End file.
